Sources tell us that painting was the Greek’s finest art form: is this a hint at what we’re missing?
A-Level: War – leaders
Trajan expanded the Roman Empire to its greatest extent, celebrating his victories with this monumental column.
Column of Trajan
Warrior, politician, reformer—Charlemagne was all three. Crowned emperor in 800, he made northern Europe a center of the Christian world.
Charlemagne (part 1 of 2): An introduction
Wood infuses a famous folktale about George Washington with theatricality, humor, and a Gilbert Stuart sample.
Grant Wood, Parson Weems’ Fable
Made for a sultan, this unusual automaton emblematizes the fierce hostility between British and Indian rulers.
A-Level: Tipu’s Tiger
Enlightenment ideals of democracy planted the seeds for colonial movements in the Spanish colonies of the Americas.
Independence from Spanish rule in South America
In this hunting scene from the Persian Book of Kings, the ruler Bahram lives up to his nickname “Gur,” or swift.
Bahram Gur Fights the Karg (Horned Wolf)
This energetic image of military victory captures a moment of transition between classical and Byzantine art.
The Emperor Triumphant (Barberini Ivory)
Was this the beginning of the end for David—or a new dawn? As far as portraits of Napoleon go, there’s none better.
Jacques-Louis David, Napoleon Crossing the Alps
1400 years ago, Anglo-Saxons hauled a ship up a hilltop and buried their king and his treasure within.
Sutton Hoo Ship Burial (video)
The secrets of large-scale casting were lost for a thousand years, but bronze horses were no sweat for Donatello.
Donatello, Equestrian Monument of Gattamelata
The eagles have landed in this imperial portrait of Napoleon inspired by antique and early modern sources.
Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, Napoleon on His Imperial Throne
For the first time, a Roman emperor celebrated victory over fellow Romans, and appropriated the art of earlier rulers.
Arch of Constantine, Rome
Naram-Sin leads his victorious army up a mountain, as vanquished Lullubi people fall before him.
Victory Stele of Naram-Sin
Napoleon masterfully manipulated his image, and this painting meant for Parisian audiences is pure propaganda.
Baron Antoine-Jean Gros, Napoleon Bonaparte Visiting the ...
Delacroix paints an anti-hero who presides over a chaotic, violent scene of corruption and luxury.
Eugène Delacroix, The Death of Sardanapalus
Shrady’s sneaky self-portrait within this sculpture took on tragic connotations after the monument claimed his life.
Shrady and Casey, Ulysses S. Grant Memorial
This gigantic canvas is one of the most famous in the history of American art, but it wasn’t made in the USA.
Emanuel Leutze, Washington Crossing the Delaware
Presidential portraits of George Washington were Stuart’s bread and butter when he returned to his native America.
Gilbert Stuart’s Lansdowne Portrait
Lack of an American sculptural tradition compelled Jefferson to look to France for this portrait of Washington.
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